


Paging Dr. Styles

by Krank



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Hospitalization, Humour, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-22
Updated: 2013-11-22
Packaged: 2018-01-02 07:56:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1054348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krank/pseuds/Krank
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Niall is thoroughly entertained during his night in the hospital.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paging Dr. Styles

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for [this lovely lady](http://sweetlikenarry.tumblr.com/). She was going through some hard times, and I did the only thing I could think to cheer her up! Enjoy x.

Niall didn’t have many expectations for his night in the hospital. He assumed it would be quiet, and quite boring. His parents hadn’t paid for a television in his room, so the only thing he had with him were his school books (yuck) and last month’s issue of Alternative Press. It wasn’t a very good issue, but it had been tucked in to his backpack with his school things that his mother had made him bring along for his stay in the hospital.

Niall had needed surgery on his knee after injuring himself during football practice. It was severe, and he was one hundred percent certain that he’d never be able to play football seriously again. It was frustrating, but he supposed he should be thankful he could walk at all. He’d still be able to kick a ball around with his friends, surely.

He was being kept in the ICU overnight so they could monitor his vitals, and then he was home bound. They didn’t mess around in hospitals. As soon as they were sure you wouldn’t die, you were sent on your way. It was for the best, Niall thought. He didn’t want to be stuck in the big empty room any longer than he had to.

Just as a lady was leaving with his dinner plate, there was a commotion outside the door.

“Mum, I’m _fine_!”

“Harry, you fell out of a _tree_!”

“It’s only a _concussion_!”

“What were you even _doing_ in a tree to _begin_ with?”

Niall watched as a boy around his age was wheeled in to the room in a wheelchair. The woman pushing it was beautiful, though she had deep worry lines set in to her face. From what Niall could see, the boy had brown, curly hair, though the thick, white gauze around his head covered some of it. The last person to enter the room was a nurse.

The boy named Harry climbed out of the wheelchair and hopped up on to the bed adjacent to Niall’s just as the nurse pulled the privacy curtain. Niall sighed, relaxing back in to his pillows and listening to the conversation going on out of view.

“Now, we’re just keeping you overnight. You need to be woken every two hours to make sure you’re still-” the nurse paused.

“ _Alive_?” Harry supplied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“To make sure you’re alright.” The ICU nurses weren’t a very comical bunch, Niall knew.

“I work the late shift tonight, baby, or else I would have just brought you home and done the waking up myself.”

“You would have gotten far too much satisfaction waking me up every two hours, mother.”

 Niall heard a slap.

  
“Behave yourself, and for the love of God don’t cause any problems! It’s just one night, surely you can manage. I told you that eventually you’d put yourself in here. You’re too much sometimes!” Harry’s mum sounded exhausted. From the sound of things, Harry was no stranger to the emergency room.

The nurse took her leave and the beautiful woman did as well after the tell tale sound of a mother’s kiss.

The room became silent, though only for a moment.

“What’s your name?” Niall heard the voice call to him from behind the curtain.

Niall hesitated for a moment, and then cleared his throat. “Niall.”

“You’re Irish!”

Niall rolled his eyes. He heard a squeak, a thump, and then the soft sound of footfalls against linoleum. All at once Harry’s privacy curtain was ripped back, revealing a grinning face against stark white bandages. He shuffled over to Niall’s bed, hugging his arms around his body. The room was a bit chilly, Niall had to agree.

“I’ve never met an Irish person before. I’m Harry, by the way.” Harry held out his hand and Niall took it. The lad was definitely a people-person. Niall was, too, usually. However he was terribly uncomfortable, and had a fare amount of drugs in his system.

“I heard.”

Harry took a seat on the rolling stool beside the bed. It seemed to be a bad idea, because he immediately began spinning himself around and rolling back and forth. He was easily entertained. “So what are you in here for?”

Niall gestured to his knee hidden beneath the blanket. “Got knee surgery today. Football accident.”

Harry winced. “Can I see it?”

Niall very carefully lifted the sheet, revealing his heavily cast knee. Harry poked it.

“It doesn’t hurt much. Once in a while there’s a little ache, but they’ve got me pretty well medicated,” Niall grinned, sinking back in to his pillows again. He felt sluggish. “So explain to me how you fell out of a tree?”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “A bit nosy, are we?” He scratched at his bandage. “Well, there’s this giant tree in the field behind my house. My friend Louis was over and we were daring each other to do stupid things, like we always do. So of course I had to climb that tree. Trees are easy. I fell backwards off of the branch I was perched on and landed on the back of my head, but not before a few scrapes and bruises.” Harry pointed to his bandage, which was probably hiding some nasty gashes. “Doctor said I could have cracked my spine! But then again he always tries to exaggerate things to try and encourage me to smarten up, I think.”

Niall’s eyes were wide. “So you _are_ in here a lot, then!”

“Hey, now!” Harry frowned. “I am a free spirit. Leave me alone.”

Niall chuckled. Just then his nurse came in to check on his numbers. Harry watched her jot her notes down efficiently. When she was done she gave the brunette a pointed look. “Harry, Mr. Horan needs plenty of rest. Don’t bother him.”

“I wouldn’t dream it.” Harry slapped a hand over his heart. He waited until she was safely out of the room and turned on Niall. “So what have you got to do for fun around here?”

Niall gave him a pathetic look. “All I’ve got are my school books.”

“Boo!” Harry stuck out his tongue. “You’re in the hospital, mate! Doesn’t that give you a free pass or something? I know it does me.”

Niall imagined that might be a defining factor as to why Harry tended to get himself in to so much trouble. He was a masochistic genius.

“My dad didn’t pay for television. So I’ve got no entertainment.”

Harry’s eyes lit up. “I’ve got TV!” He stood up quickly, though he wobbled and clutched on to Niall’s bed frame. “Oof, sorry about that. I’ve got to watch myself. Believe it or not, this is my first concussion.”

Niall observed quietly as Harry wheeled a massive cart over with a good-sized television sitting on top of it. On a shelf below was a DVD player. “Mum always gets the TV in hopes that it might distract me. The nurse told me so one night when I was sitting at the nurses’ station with them.”

Niall rolled his eyes, completely floored by the odd human being in front of him. He’d never quite met anyone like Harry Styles before. He knew plenty of outgoing people, and some crazy people, but Harry was a brand all his own. He was full of quirks and flaws, and yet he was probably one of the most likeable people in the world, as far as Niall was concerned.

“I’ll be right back! Channel surf!” Harry tossed a remote on to the bed and Niall happily snatched it up. The curly haired boy grabbed a thin cotton housecoat to wrap around him and ducked out. Niall could hear him outside.

“ _Barbara! How are you?”_

Yes _. Very_ likeable.

Harry was gone for quite a while, during which time Niall found an old episode of Doctor Who to watch. He didn’t watch it often, but the hospital didn’t have any good sports channels. It was a pretty basic set up, and to avoid the news, Niall chose the Doctor.

When Harry finally returned, Niall hated to admit that he had missed him. The brunette was clutching his robe close to him, and he looked quite lumpy in the front. He hit the light switch on his way by, casting the room in to a comfortable darkness for television watching. “I hit the jackpot, Niall!” Harry walked over and dumped a pile of chocolate bars and crisps on to the mattress.

Niall gasped. “Where in the world-“

“Barbara is a doll. She let me in to the nurses’ lounge where the vending machines are.” Without being necessarily invited, Harry crawled on to Niall’s bed beside him. The blond instinctively shifted himself as much as he could with one useless leg. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful with your gimpy leg.”

The two boys had a feast as they watched TV. Harry was so easy to be around, even though Niall had just met him. He was so excitable, and yet at that moment, he was very relaxed. It was like a switch with him. From a live wire to a still lake lapping at the shores. Harry was a puzzle.

One after the other they fell asleep, squished on to one too-small hospital bed. Niall was warm sharing heat with the body next to him, and he felt more comfortable than he had by himself. It took him no time at all to settle in and nod off.

———

Niall was jarred awake what felt like hours later by a firm voice.

“Oh, for the love of God. Harry!” The voice hissed. “Get over to your own bed!”

On the other side of Niall’s eyelids the room grew dark, signaling that the television had been shut off. His bed shifted, the warmth disappearing from beside him.

“I was just trying to cheer him up!” He heard Harry reply in a rather whiny voice.

“Oh, my dear, you’re such a philanthropist.” Niall changed his mind about ICU nurses being devoid of humor. They were actually sarcastic little shits.

He heard the tell tale squeak of Harry’s bed as the brunette climbed back in to it. Niall felt a little lonely in his bed, though he wiggled around to make himself more comfortable. He could feel the nurses’ presence beside him as she fiddled with the machines he was hooked up to. As she walked away, she gave Harry another warning.

He heard the door to the room close softly and silence followed.

Just as he was managing to drift off again, thankfully, he heard the quietest little voice call out to him.

“Goodnight, Niall!”

 Niall smiled.


End file.
